autism

Stepping Up

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I think everyone has seen, through the two plus years that I have been blogging about being the father of a child with Autism, about how I advocate for my son in the schools to get him the resources he needs to succeed.  You’ve seen my struggles and frustrations, and the occasional victory, all while I’ve groaned and grumbled about how the school district seems to be rigged against children like my Monster and that they don’t seem to hear us when we complain to them.

Well, it looks like I’m about to have more of a voice.
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On the Road – Water Country USA (redux)

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This weekend, we zipped off to the Tidewater region of Virginia to go hit the two amusement parks – Busch Gardens and Water Country USA – and two baseball games.  Unfortunately, one was washed out due to the weather, but…

I know I’ve reviewed Water Country USA previously (see On the Road – Water Country USA), but this time, due to the weather on Friday, we were able to do more of a visit that would answer questions that are of interest to Autism parents. Continue reading →

Of Monsters and Manuals

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So we’re coming up on the vacation trip, and we’re starting to finish our preparations to ensure that the kids are taken care of properly while we’re gone.

Now, when we leave the kids with their grandparents for a night, it’s fairly straight forward.  But the kids aren’t familiar with the babysitter, nor she with them, so there’s additional preparations that have to be made.  (To be fair, the sitter’s met them a few times before this, and she’s sat for us while we went out, so it’s not like she’s some total stranger… but she’s not family either.) Continue reading →

Camp Thoughts

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There’s always the question of what to do with a special needs child over the summer.  There’s school-provided ESY, or other enrichment programs, or perhaps doing some home schooling… or there’s regular camp.

As we did last summer, this summer we decided to send the Monster to Camp Milldale. Continue reading →

So Much Paper

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As I mentioned a while back, the wife and I are hiring someone to watch the Monster and R while we’re out of town.

This is going to be our first vacation without the kids since… well, my sister’s wedding, back when we only had the Monster, and well before his diagnosis.  (For reference, he was a 10 month old at the time, and stayed with his grandparents.)  We’re fortunate enough to find someone with experience with children with Autism, coupled with the fact that the Monster is going to be out of the house for most of our time away, as he’ll be at camp from 8 AM to 5 PM each day.

Still, we’re trying to make it as easy as possible for the sitter, so the wife is making her all kinds of papers that talk about what passes for normal around the house.

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Waterpark Blues

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One of the biggest stumbling blocks that we face, when we’re going out to an amusement park, is how to cope with the water park.

Most water parks are not really built to accommodate people with disabilities.  It’s easier with a land-based ride, since there’s usually an exit and an entrance, and most parks seem to use the exit as a ‘fast-pass/disability’ access point.  But a water ride… usually has one way to ride it, and going in the exit doesn’t work. Continue reading →

Changing Gears

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It’s unusual when I’m home for a day and none of it has anything to do with the Monster.

Of course, my morning did start off with getting the Monster off to camp.  Because I did not have to be at the office, I did most of the work for a change at getting him up and going.  This is usually a two person job – me in the kitchen packing his lunch and getting breakfast on the table, while she’s getting him dressed, lotioned, and his bag packed. Continue reading →

Daddy Downtime

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So I’m back, now that things are squared away.

Beyond all the other reasons that I’m very grateful for having my job – for the good insurance it gives me, for the flexibility I have about dealing with things for the Monster, and for the fact that I genuinely like my job – there’s this once-every-five-years perk of having a sabbatical.  I’m officially – as of tonight at midnight – on a paid vacation from work for four weeks. Continue reading →

Autism at the Ballpark: Bowie Baysox

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And the march from ballpark to ballpark continues.

This weekend is a double-header for us.  We’ve the opportunity to go catch two of the Baltimore Orioles’ farm teams this weekend – the Bowie Baysox (AA, Eastern League) on Friday night and the Aberdeen Ironbirds (Short-Season A, New York-Penn League) this evening.  Both teams are doing their Autism Awareness games this weekend. Continue reading →